Live and Learn
by LavenderLoveLife
Summary: A one-shot set at the end and after the events of Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, starring Sonic, Shadow, Tails, and the whole crew.


Author's Notes: So here we are again, here's the sequel to Open Your Heart. First off, in this story Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles all play instruments, just for fun, not a professional band. Secondly and more importantly, Most of the dialogue I got directly from the game and the lyrics obviously aren't mine and the characters aren't mine and all of that legal stuff. I own nothing! So read on! Also, if anyone has any requests to what game I should do next leave a nice little review because criticism is always appreciated.

Outside Space Colony ARK:

Time Until Impact: 4 Minutes

"Can both of you hear me? Atmosphere entry in about four minutes! Hurry!" Robotnik shouted through the radio distracting Sonic from collecting rings.

"He's still very powerful. What kind of monster is this? How are you doing, Sonic?" Shadow called over.

"Good, I've got sixty, I'll take over Shadow, you collect the rings for awhile," Sonic called back shooting at the speed of sound toward the Finalhazard. He and Shadow gave high fives as they passed. Shadow dashed over to the rings floating aimlessly through space grabbing as many as he could. He glanced behind and saw a faint glow forming around the ARK. Shadow grimaced.

"Sonic! Shadow! Hurry! We're running out of time!" Knuckles shouted over the radio. Shadow glanced at the rings in his hands. Forty was plenty. He turned and shot back toward the Finalhazard. Shadow heard it cry in pain as he came close enough.

"Yeah Sonic! Let him have it!" Tails shouted over the intercom.

"No sweat little bro!" Sonic replied grinning. Sonic noticed Shadow fly in. "Although just a little," Sonic said seriously to Shadow. "You have fifty rings already?"

"Uh, Yeah of course," Shadow lied. "We're getting too close for comfort, let's finish this!" Sonic nodded.

"Right," Sonic glanced over at the Finalhazard. "You go right, I'll take left, who ever it sees first will be the distraction ready?"

"Roger!" The two hedgehogs split up and shot toward the creature. It saw them both somehow. It shot out each of its lasers throwing them both back. Shadow switched to light speed and managed to force his way to the swelling. Expending more rings. The Finalhazard reared its head back and shrieked. It released Chaos Energy in an explosion shooting the two hedgehogs back and charging them a Chaos "sugar rush."

"There's no way to stop it now! You're out of time, get out of there!" Amy suddenly shouted over the radio.

"No!" Shadow shouted.

"Not just yet Amy!" Sonic shouted tense. "Shadow, let's charge him head on! Everything you've got!"

"Sounds like a plan! Let's move!" The two supercharged hedgehogs flew out in front of the ARK, startled because of how close to the planet they were, and put themselves directly in the ARK's path. They took of at light speed.

"No way that's getting through!" Sonic shouted, hands above his head.

"Sonic! I can't keep this up, hurry!" Shadow suddenly shouted, feeling weary. The sugar rush had left him with a crash.

"We're almost there!"

'Shadow… I beg of you… give them a chance!' Maria's voice sounded in Shadow's head. He gasped. The voice sounded so clear.

'Watch me fulfill my promise Maria!!' Shadow said in his head.

"Now!" Sonic shouted.

"Chaos Control!!!" They both screamed. The ARK vanished. The Finalhazard burned into nothing in the atmosphere. The world watched the ARK reappear further in space.

Sonic floated gasping. That last warp took a lot out of him. He was down to twenty rings. "Shadow, we did it!" He said, looking around for his friend. "Shadow?" He called again with an uneasy feeling.

"Sonic?" His voice came over the radio. They heard nothing from the group in the ARK, because it was frozen in time for a few minutes more.

"Shadow where are you? We won!" Sonic relayed excited.

"Hahaha, yes… we did… I think I've discovered what the Ultimate Life Form is..."

"What's that?"

"I think… it might be you,"

"Shadow… That's crazy…" Unsure of what to say he continued. "You're unstoppable Shadow!" He felt a rush of Chaos Energy as the emeralds supplied him with more power. Sonic gasped. "Shadow! You're nearly out of rings! You'll lose your super form! Get back here!"

"Maria… I've fulfilled my promise," He mumbled.

"Shadow!" Sonic gaped. "Cut it out! Everyone is waiting for us!

"Sayonara, Sonic… the Hedgehog." Shadow said, and then the radio cut.

***

"Yeah Sonic! Let him have it!" Tails shouted into the communicator before he passed it on.

"No sweat little bro!" Sonic said. Tails swore he could hear Sonic grinning as he said that.

Amy watched a little less enthusiastically. Her last conversation with Shadow was replaying itself through her head. She saw the immediate change in him when he realized what he needed to do. During that last part of their conversation she saw the real Shadow.

"_I was about to destroy the world…" Shadow said to himself, eyes wide. He looked up at Amy. "And all of you too. All of those people… Those lives, the lives Maria found so precious… They only have long enough as it is!" _

_Can you feel life movin' through your mind,_

_looks like it came back for more!_

_Can you feel time slippin' down your spine,_

_You try and try to ignore!_

_Amy tucked those lyrics to the back of her mind for now. Shadow clenched his fist. "I have to go," He started. "I need to fulfill my promise!" _

"He Lived and Learned…" Amy mumbled watching the fight. She turned to Tails. "You may never find your way… But Shadow did find his way…" She turned back to the window mumbling words. Knuckles raised an eyebrow at her and leaned over to Tails.

"What is she doing?" He asked as Amy mumbled more lyrics.

"She does this all the time, stop by after this to see what I mean." Tails said.

"If we make it that far." Knuckles shrugged and glanced at his watch.

"Hold on to what if," Tails said solemnly to Knuckles.

"Time's up…" Knuckles said flatly. Amy jumped to her feet and grabbed the radio.

"There's no way to stop it now! You're out of time, get out of there!" Amy shouted over the radio.

Then suddenly, everything stopped. The planet no longer took up the whole window, the shaking had stopped, and the FinalHazard was no longer visible outside of the window.

"They did it!" Tails said. The group in the room rejoiced.

Moments later the door to the lab opened, which revealed an exhausted, depressed looking Sonic. He was holding a ring tightly in his hand. Rouge stepped forward first.

"Where's Shadow?"

***

Amy glanced around the room at the several people having conversations. She noticed Sonic alone, unmoving at the window.

'Shadow… is he really the ultimate life form?' Sonic thought to himself, staring at the globe. His eyes stung a bit, but he fought it back.

"Wassamatter Sonic?" Amy said walking over.

"What? Oh…"He trailed off not answering, resting his head in his hands against the window. Amy choked up slightly. This wasn't the Sonic she was used to.

_But you can hardly swallow,_

_Your fears and pain._

_When you can't help but follow,_

_It puts you right back where you came._

"It's alright Sonic," She said. "Shadow found his way, he learned from the works of yesterday. Hold on to what if Sonic,"

Sonic smiled slightly, lifting his head. "I guess," He glanced around the room at his friends. "Come on! Let's go home! To the planet as cool and blue as me!" Amy led the way out followed by Rouge, Robotnik, Tails, and Knuckles. Sonic however paused at the door and looked back at the window one last time.

"Sayonara, Shadow… the Hedgehog…"

***

Not unlike other times Sonic used the full power of the Chaos Emeralds, as soon as Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles got back to Tails' workshop, Sonic slept for almost two days. In this time, Tails and Amy discovered that Knuckles could play the guitar well enough to nearly match Sonic. Not unlike other times, Sonic awoke to his friends playing in the living room. But unlike other times, he stayed in bed for a little while thinking.

"_Do you really think... that the professor created Shadow to carry out the revenge on all those who live there, on Earth?" Rouge asked Sonic soberly. Sonic thought for a moment before answering._

"_He was what he was." He said. "A brave and heroic hedgehog, who gave his life to save this planet. Shadow the Hedgehog..."_

Not wanted to spend too much time brooding, Sonic got up and left his room. He walked out and heard his friends playing "Open Your Heart." He walked into the living room and saw Amy at her drum set, Tails with his piano, and Knuckles with Sonic's extra guitar.

"Hey Knux, I had no idea you could play the guitar!" Sonic said. Knuckles smirked.

"Good enough I guess," He said. Amy pulled out a few sheets of paper.

"I have new lyrics! Come see!" Amy said holding them up. Sonic ran over and grabbed them, and shot back upstairs to get his guitar. They heard random strumming from Sonic's room/

"Little did I know all you guys do is talk in lyrics," Knuckles said. "It's kind of creepy,"

"You'll start soon enough," Amy said laughing. A few minutes later Sonic shot back down the stairs and sat on the couch in a blue streak.

"These are great Amy!" Sonic said excited. He turned to Knuckles. "I'm glad you play the guitar otherwise this wouldn't work." They all waited patiently as Sonic instructed them individually. Tails played the melody on his piano quietly while Amy sang along, changing some words to they fit better. It was longer then they were used to and with two guitar parts they had fun playing it.

Can you feel life movin' through your mind,

Ooh, looks like it came back for more!

Yeah yeah yeah!

Can you feel time slippin' down your spine,

Ooooooh, You try and try to ignore!

Yeah!

But you can hardly swallow,

Your fears and pain.

When you can't help but follow,

It puts you right back where you came.

Live and learn!

Hanging on the edge of tomorrow,

Live and learn!

From the works of yesterday.

Live and learn!

If you beg or if you borrow,

Live and learn!

You may never find your way.

Whooooa, yeah!

Can you feel life tangle you up inside?

Yeah, now you're face down on the floor!

Oh!

But you can't save your sorrow,

You've paid in trade!

When you can't help but follow,

It puts you right back where you came.

Live and learn!

Hanging on the edge of tomorrow,

Live and learn!

From the works of yesterday.

Live and learn!

If you beg or if you borrow,

Live and learn!

You may never find your way.

Hey, whoa, whoa,

Oh yeeeeeeeeeeeah!

SIDE NOTE: Feel free to choke after the "yeeeeeeeeeeah!"

-INSTRUMENTAL-

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

-INSTRUMENTAL-

There's a face searching far, so far and wide.

There's a place where you dream you'd never find.

Hold on to what if?

Hold on to what if?

Live and learn!

Hanging on the edge of tomorrow,

Live and learn!

From the works of yesterday.

Live and learn!

If you beg or if you borrow,

Live and learn!

You may never find your way.

Live and learn!

Hanging on the edge of tomorrow,

Live and learn!

From the works of yesterday.

Live and learn!

If you beg or if you borrow,

Live and learn!

You may never find your way.


End file.
